Chapter 5 Flashcards
synaptic pruning
The elimination of synaptic connections in order to increase efficiency.
lateralization
The process by which the right and left hemispheres of the brain take on specific functions.
handedness The preference for using one hand over the other for basic activities such as eating, throwing, and writing.
ossification
The process through which cartilage becomes bone.
preoperational stage
Piaget’s second stage of cognitive development, in which the child begins to think symbolically; that is, with words.
object permanence
The ability of an infant to think about things that are not present.
piaget
symbolic function
The first substage of the preoperational period, during which the ability to use language gives children a new way of thinking about the world.
piaget
intuitive thought
The second substage of preoperational thinking, during which children want to know how and why.
piaget
centration
A quality of thinking in which a person focuses on one aspect or dimension of an object while disregarding any other dimension.
piaget
conservation
The understanding that key physical properties of an object remain constant even if the appearance of the object changes.
piaget
egocentrism
A cognitive quality in which one is centred in one’s own frame of reference.
animism
An egocentric belief that all inanimate objects have qualities associated with humans.
piaget irreversibility
The belief of preoperational thinkers that objects and events, once changed, can never return to their original form.
artificialism
The belief that all objects and events are affected by human influences.
Vygotsky’s
zone of proximal development (ZPD)
Vygotsky’s term for the range of tasks that a person cannot accomplish independently but that can be done with the assistance of a person with more experience or more advanced cognitive ability.
scaffolding
The process of assisting a less experienced individual through complex tasks by providing supports, which may be verbal or physical.
guided participation
A process in which a more experienced teacher becomes an interactive guide, helping a younger or less experienced person do tasks that he or she could not complete independently.
private speech
A language process in which children talk to themselves as they attempt to perform a task or solve a problem.
collective monologue
Piaget’s term for the egocentric private talk that sometimes occurs in a group of children.
theory of mind
The ability to understand that others have mental states and that their thoughts and knowledge differ from one’s own.
vocabulary spurt or naming explosion
The rapid expansion of vocabulary that children experience during early childhood.
overgeneralization
Applying the rules of grammar to cases in which they do not apply.
noun bias
The suggestion that children use nouns more frequently than other parts of speech.
pragmatics
The social use of communication. (addressing adults differently than other kids)
language categorization
The process of forming a cognitive compartment, or grouping, based on specific properties.
fast mapping
A process by which a child can relate unknown words to known words, thus rapidly expanding vocabulary
language acquisition device (LAD)
A term coined by linguist Noam Chomsky to describe the innate mechanism for processing words that he believed humans had.
functional language
The idea that language acquisition is a “need-based” process in which children construct meaning out of a need to understand what others are saying and to be understood.
parten
non-social play
Non-interactive play in which a child focuses on either an object or a toy and appears unconnected to others, or acts as an onlooker, watching others play without joining in.
.
parten
parallel play
A form of play in which children appear to be together but are not interacting with one another.
parten
associative play
A form of play in which children interact and share materials but do not work together toward the same goal.
parten
co-operative play
A form of play in which children interact to work toward a common goal
piaget
functional play
A form of play that involves repetitive movements and simple exploratory activity, usually seen during a child’s first two years.
piaget
constructive play
A form of play that involves the creation of new objects, often by combining already existing objects.
piaget
symbolic play
A form of play that begins around 3 years of age in which children use objects as symbols to stand for something else.
piaget
rough-and-tumble play
A form of physical play, such as wrestling, tumbling, and running.
Head Start
A program that seeks to promote school-readiness among disadvantaged children through the provision of educational, nutritional, and social services. Aboriginal Head Start programs include local control by First Nations and teaching in Aboriginal culture and language.
inclusion
An approach to educating students with special educational needs based on the idea that all individuals have a right to be educated in regular classroom settings.
individualized education program
A written statement that defines the individualized educational goals of a child with a disability.
overweight or obesity
A classification based on the association of various BMI cut-offs with health risks; varies in children by age and sex.
body mass index (BMI)
A measure used to determine healthy body weight that is calculated by dividing a person’s weight (in kilograms) by the square of their height (in metres) BMI = weight(kg)/height2(m)2
socio-economic status
The combination of a person’s income, education, and occupation relative to others.
unintentional injury
Any type of physical trauma that is determined to have been caused by circumstances other than abuse or maltreatment.
Unintentional injuries are the leading cause of death in children and adolescents in Canada and a major cause of morbidity. It is the fourth leading cause of hospitalization of children between the ages of 1 and 4 (360 per 100,000), and almost 25 percent of all deaths of children in this age range are due to injury
